Springtime is here and many property owners and professional contractors are taking advantage of the warm weather to undertake landscaping and outdoor projects that require digging or excavating. Virginia Natural Gas urges landowners and contractors to dial the toll-free "Call Before You Dig" hotline, 8-1-1, before beginning a project.

"Exercising caution when digging around gas lines is important, not only for personal safety, but also to help us maintain safe and reliable gas service," said Robert Duvall, vice-president of Virginia Natural Gas.

Dialing 8-1-1 will connect callers to the Virginia damage prevention center. This quick and efficient one call center notifies the appropriate local utilities, which then send locate technicians to the requested site to mark the approximate location of underground lines. Virginia Natural Gas will mark the surface locations of buried natural gas lines at the job site, which helps prevent damage to those facilities.

According to Duvall, it is important for residents and contractors to call before beginning any outdoor project. "Safety is good business and even small, do-it-yourself jobs using mechanized equipment should be marked to prevent possible injury and costly damage," he continued.

  For more information about the 8-1-1 service visit www.call811.com.

  About Virginia Natural Gas

Virginia Natural Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of AGL Resources , provides retail natural gas sales and distribution services to 264,000 customers in southeast Virginia. For more information, visit www.virginianaturalgas.com.

About AGL Resources

AGL Resources , an Atlanta-based energy services company, serves more than 2.2 million customers in six states. The company also owns Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, an asset manager serving natural gas wholesale customers throughout North America. As a 70 percent owner in the SouthStar partnership, AGL Resources markets natural gas to consumers in Georgia under the Georgia Natural Gas brand. The company also owns and operates Jefferson Island Storage & Hub, a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility near the Henry Hub in Louisiana. For more information, visit www.aglresources.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: AGL Resources